SOS! Please recommend shore excursions for August 2025 Mediterranean Cruise

[B2D2]

Hi! I’m a first-time cruiser with limited experience traveling beyond my country. I’ve booked a Mediterranean cruise on Voyager of the Seas for August 2025. The ports of call include Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, and Piraeus. I’m planning to spend a couple of days in Rome, but the excursion offered by Royal Caribbean seems quite expensive. Given the short duration of my stay, I would greatly appreciate some recommendations for a fantastic experience in Rome. I’m also feeling a bit overwhelmed by the excursion suggestions for the other ports. I would be very grateful if you could recommend excursions that are either offered by Royal Caribbean or by reputable tour companies. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated! 

[Ryan79]

1) what types of things do you like to do? What sort of things do you not like to do? Are you younger? Older? Taking kids? Going with other family? OK, maybe that was more than just 1! LOL

2) what do you consider “expensive”? That is a very subjective term. You already mentioned RC excursions appeared experts to you, so you seem somewhat price sensitive. Not that you cannot have a good time without spending a lot, but certainly that will eliminate options if you aren’t willing to spend say $100pp….just throwing out a random number.

Viator and GetYourGuide are two sites that I use A LOT for booking out of country excursions. Give them a look!

[loki007]

we did rome in a day thru Viator which was awesome but a long day. Started at the Vatican and ended at the collesium. Included skip the line entry to everything and the tour guides were great

[ChessE4]

On our first visit to Civi we did a combo Rome tour with Royal that got us to major sites minus the Vatican. The combination of walking tour and bus ride worked out well for us and son without worries about being left behind. It was a long day and hot. Second visit we opted for Etruscan and olive tour which was fun and a bit shorter.

In Santorini we chose a black sand beach excursion that included a drop off for shopping before catching the funicular to the tender port.

Just plan on lots of water for summer travel.

The Acropolis will be crowded (Piraeous) so get there early if you choose that tour. We will try museums instead on our next visit.

In Naples we enjoyed Pompei and climbed Mt. Vesuvius, but Capri will be our choice next time. Apparently you can get reasonably priced ferry tickets at the port. 

In Turkey we were enthralled by Ephesus. Be forewarned that vendors in Turkey can be aggressive. We didn't buy any carpets!

The main point is to avoid overdoing it in the heat, blending shorter port days with longer ones.

You will have lots of fun, but take care of your valuables as you mingle in the crowds.

[KristiZ]

On Santorini we used Efi for a private tour. She was great! [email protected]

 

[B2D2]

21 hours ago, Ryan79 said:

1) what types of things do you like to do? What sort of things do you not like to do? Are you younger? Older? Taking kids? Going with other family? OK, maybe that was more than just 1! LOL

2) what do you consider “expensive”? That is a very subjective term. You already mentioned RC excursions appeared experts to you, so you seem somewhat price sensitive. Not that you cannot have a good time without spending a lot, but certainly that will eliminate options if you aren’t willing to spend say $100pp….just throwing out a random number.

Viator and GetYourGuide are two sites that I use A LOT for booking out of country excursions. Give them a look!

1. I’m a foodie and a people-watcher, especially in new places. I want to experience the local specialties before I leave, as I might not be back soon. I also have a playful side (if there’s a water park, I’m there). I’m middle-aged and traveling with friends. We’re all turning 40 this year, so we’ve chosen this trip as our celebration.  
2. I would say $100 pp is reasonable, but I would splurge on at least one excursion if it was worth it. 

Thanks for the questions!

[Jill]

Civitavecchia has a wonderful guide, Pamela Marchetti. She’s on Facebook. She has a food tour there or can take you to the surrounding areas. 

Naples: Taxi Mister Cab Driver Naples Amalfi Coast are excellent. Super fun. Several tours to choose from. Also on Facebook. Ciro LaMotta is the owner. Makes sure it’s his page you go to. There are some imposters of his page

Ephesus we used Ephesus Port Tours. They were excellent too and have several tours to choose from

Santorini we did a ship excursion just to get off early

[Riley]

On 4/5/2025 at 7:39 AM, B2D2 said:

Hi! I’m a first-time cruiser with limited experience traveling beyond my country. I’ve booked a Mediterranean cruise on Voyager of the Seas for August 2025. The ports of call include Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, and Piraeus. I’m planning to spend a couple of days in Rome, but the excursion offered by Royal Caribbean seems quite expensive. Given the short duration of my stay, I would greatly appreciate some recommendations for a fantastic experience in Rome. I’m also feeling a bit overwhelmed by the excursion suggestions for the other ports. I would be very grateful if you could recommend excursions that are either offered by Royal Caribbean or by reputable tour companies. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated! 

Side note that could be important, depending on your heat tolerance - the odds are things are going to be HOT like, dangerously so; especially Greece and Turkey. Plan on bringing sunscreen, an umbrella for shade, cooling cloths or at least a washcloth from the ship to wet down for your face/neck, and as much water as you can carry. 

[rjac]

On 4/5/2025 at 8:39 AM, B2D2 said:

I’ve booked a Mediterranean cruise on Voyager of the Seas for August 2025.

Be prepared for the heat. We did a Greece cruise last July on the Explorer OTS. If it is over 100 degrees on the Greek Islands, they close the historical sight seeing features. We booked catamaran trips through VIATOR, the water was great! 

[mjb1127]

Rome, Athens, and Kusadasi (Ephesus) are ports where you should book an excursion.  In Santorini, get a tender ticket and cable car tickets.  Find a good restaurant and enjoy.  In Naples, you could enjoy their pizza or sign up for a food and/or wine tour.  Sicily is known for their cannoli.  There is a water park outside Rome called Hydromania although we didn't visit.

[tonyfsu21]

We are headed to Milan>Venice>Rome and then Odyssey in June and the best source (other than responses from the blog) has been Grok. We used it to give us a 1 week plan for high speed train travel, hotels and excursions. Technology is awesome in 2025. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

33 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

We are headed to Milan>Venice>Rome and then Odyssey in June and the best source (other than responses from the blog) has been Grok. We used it to give us a 1 week plan for high speed train travel, hotels and excursions. Technology is awesome in 2025. 

Interesting,  I never thought about using Grok for this !